Friday, June 27, 2003

One little problem there Dominique.

Naming Africa's current "problem countries" as Zimbabwe, the Central African Republic and Liberia, De Villepin said: "We have to take into account that there are countries in Africa that are concerned enough to take time to be part of a process to help each of these countries."

He lauded the role of the troika - South Africa, Nigeria and Australia - in trying to resolve the crisis in Zimbabwe and said countries like France should support these processes.

One year ago that troika suspended Zimbabwe's membership in the Commonwealth. This year South Africa and Nigeria refused to do so. For one year Zimbabwe was not in the Commonwealth and the situation degenerated even further. The inflation in the nation is now out of control, people are starving, Zanu thugs are beating dissenters in the street, almost every independent journalistic voice has been silenced, Mugabe is still in power and showing no signs of positive change and De Villepin has nothing but praise for the efforts, or lack thereof, that made that possible.

In what was a subtle swipe at American and British demands on Zimbabwe, De Villepin warned against acceptance of interference that could complicate the situation.

"So it is not a question of a country somewhere in the world, with an idea it wants to put into action in one region of Africa, but a matter of having countries around one country with difficulties showing the way to solve it," De Villepin emphasised.

And here is the problem. South Africa and Nigeria have done absolutely nothing to help alleviate the situation in Zimbabwe. How great is the genocide going to be before they do decide to do something? All that De Villepin wants is some good Diplomatic meetings stressing the need for dialogue among the factions in Zimbabwe. Which Mugabe will ignore. Besides which, by the time De Villepin signs his name to such a resolution, most of the opposition leaders in Zimbabwe will be dead or in jail and their wives and daughters will have long been gang-raped by Mugabe's killers. But we won't have 'intervened' and 'complicated' the situation.

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